Viewpoint: Trump and DOGE creating Social Security disaster in Montana
Alex Lawson
The Trump administration has forced out thousands of civil servants at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Beneficiaries are facing hours-long lines at field offices and record wait times for the 1-800 number. Reports of service disruptions continue to mount.
These are the sad results of Trump and DOGE’s mismanagement and destruction. Montanans who want to access their hard-earned Social Security benefits are paying the price.
There are seven Social Security field offices in Montana, spread out across the state. Nearly 60,000 Montana seniors live more than a 2 hour, 32 minute trip from the nearest Social Security field office.
Seniors and people with disabilities will have to wait months for an appointment at the closest office — if they can get one at all. The national average wait for an appointment was 28 days in March, and things are only getting worse.
If they can’t get an appointment nearby, they will have to travel hours more to get to a different office. Imagine doing that drive in December, when the sun sets before 5pm and there’s a high likelihood of ice and snow!
For the 264,264 people in Montana who rely on their earned Social Security benefits, the growing crisis in customer service at SSA is a disaster. Those who get benefits include 210,371 retired workers, 22,724 disabled workers, 12,914 widow(er)s and parents, 5,504 spouses, and 12,751 children. Since Montana is one of the fastest aging states in the country, those numbers are growing every year.
They spend those benefits in their communities. Last year, in 2024, $5.66 billion in earned Social Security benefits contributed to Montana’s economy. When people can’t get the benefits they’ve earned, they are losing a lifeline. In 2023, Social Security was responsible for lifting 64,000 older adults out of poverty in Montana alone.
As the public complains about excessive wait times on the phone, SSA is shifting some workers from the field offices to the phone lines. Of course, removing staff from the field offices will only make the delays there worse.
Trump’s hand-picked Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano (a self-described “DOGE person”) is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic — while asking the people of Montana not to believe their lying eyes.
While SSA is distributing press releases bragging about improved customer service, anyone who has been to a Social Security field office lately knows that is a lie. Bisignano knows it, too. That’s why he pulled down data tracking wait times from SSA’s website.
Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, recently admitted that the administration is pursuing “backdoor privatization of Social Security.” That’s their goal: Break Social Security, then say that it isn’t working so we have to hand it over to Wall Street.
Montana seniors won’t let that happen. This August marks Social Security’s 90th anniversary, the perfect time to organize against the ongoing attacks on our Social Security system. From August 11th-14th, I will be crisscrossing the state with Big Sky 55+ for a Social Security Birthday roadshow to demand that the Trump administration stop breaking Social Security. Details and RSVP links can be found at https://www.bigskyfiftyfive.org/social-security. I look forward to seeing you!
Alex Lawson is the Executive Director of Social Security Works, the convening member of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition— a coalition of over 340 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans.